The Context of Opposition...

For the past two months, we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Acts, which records the story of how early followers of Jesus responded to the mission that they were given to be the vehicle that God used to reveal His Son Jesus as they partnered with God to advance His kingdom mission in the world. In this series, we have discovered that God’s was now sending His Spirit in order that followers of Jesus would be indwelt and united together as a part of a new community called the church. And this new community called the church was given a co-mission; a mission that would be powered by the Spirit of God in order to advance the kingdom of God and enhance the reputation of God.

This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we enter back into the story of how these early followers of Jesus engaged in the co:mission that they were given, we come to a story that reveals for us a pivot point in the lives of these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. So let’s begin our time together where Luke begins, which is in Acts 6:8:

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council. They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.” The high priest said, "Are these things so?"

Luke begins by revealing for us a confrontation that sets the scene for what will unfold in this story. Stephen, who we met last week as one of the seven men who were selected and commissioned to fulfill a new role in the church as a deacon, was being used by God in mighty and powerful ways. Luke tells us God’s transformational intervention and activity in Stephen’s life was evident for all to see. As Stephen lived his day to day life in a way that was controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit, he was performing many wonders and signs. As Stephen shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, these wonders and signs served to confirm and authenticate that this was a message, not made up by a man, but from God that could not be ignored or minimized.

However, a group of religious Jewish people, called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, began to argue and debate with Stephen regarding the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Luke tells us that while they debated and attempted to discredit the message and teachings of Jesus, these men were no match for the wisdom that Stephen possessed as a result of the equipping and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

After losing the debate, Luke records for us that these religious Jewish people employed a different strategy to deal with Stephen. They instigated a group of people to claim that Stephen spoke blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Now to blaspheme is to say things that defame, demean, or denigrate another. Unable to disprove the message, these men decided to attack the messenger, claiming that Stephen had demeaned Moses, who was considered the greatest deliverer and religious leader of the Jewish people, and God.

Luke tells us that these charges stirred up the Jewish religious people in Jerusalem to the point that they were able to have Stephen arrested and brought before the council. As we talked about a few weeks ago, the council was the Sanhedrin, which was the governing body of the Jewish nation and was comprised of the political, judicial, and religious leaders of the Jewish people. These were the most powerful people in the nation gathered together in one room.

Luke states that Stephen was brought before the council for trial and then explains the charges that were brought against him: "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law”. The Holy place refers to the Temple, which served as the center and focus of the Jewish religious system. The Law refers to the first five books of our Bibles today, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law or Torah and was the foundation of the Jewish religious system. Luke tells us that false witnesses appeared at the trial and accused Stephen of repeating Jesus claim to destroy the temple and the Jewish religious system that the Law imposed.

Now, as you might imagine, these were extraordinarily serious charges. These charges, in the Jewish culture of the first century, were the equivalent of treason and placed Stephen’s life in the balance. And yet, as Stephen was face to face with the most powerful people of the nation facing charges that placed his life in the balance, there was something about Stephen’s face that caught the attention of the council.

When Luke uses the phrase “like the face of an angel”, this phrase conveys the sense of appearing as though He had been in the presence of the glory of God. Stephen’s face reflected that God’s glory and presence was present in His life. After hearing the charges, Caiaphas, who was the High Priest, the same High Priest that oversaw Jesus arrest, trial, and crucifixion asked a simple question: "Are these things so?"

Now imagine yourself as Stephen. You are face to face with the most powerful people in the nation who had condemned Jesus. One word from these men and you are dead. So, what would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? And how would you respond? Because it is this context that we enter into this story that serves as a pivot point for these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. Stephen’s response will begin a cascade of events that would forever change the influence and impact that this new movement called the church would have in the world. You see, Stephen responded to the charges that he faced by preaching a sermon to the most powerful people in the Jewish nation.

And this week instead of me telling you what Stephen preached, I would like for us to look at what Stephen preached 2,000 years ago, word for word. In this sermon, Stephen gives us an amazing overview of the Old Testament. So, if you have never had an opportunity to read much of the Old Testament, this time together will give you a concise picture of the message and teachings of the Old Testament. And it is in this sermon we discover a timeless principle that is necessary to recognize when it comes to the co:mission we have been given.

Tomorrow, we will begin to look at this sermon...